Confessions Of An Optimist By Woodrow Wyatt

Pre-owned. Woodrow Wyatt, politician, doughty champion of individual liberties, more cavalier than roundhead, has for over sixty years extracted vast pleasure from being alive and has given back to the world at least as much as he received. The Wyatts were a distinguished dynasty of architects, painters, sculptors, inventors, engineers and a famous cricketer, in none of which fields did Woodrow excel. He soon proved himself, however, articulate, pugnacious and with a lively concern for the under-privileged; attributes which led him after a military career not improved by insubordination and his mislaying the plans for the Second Front – into the Labour Party and the House of Commons. India was his early special interest and he accompanied the Cabinet Mission in 1946 as Stafford Cripps’ Personal Assistant. He was fascinated and amused by Gandhi, whom he admired without revering, but his most important task was to win the confidence of the cool and intractable Jinnah. Back at Westminster again Attlee appointed him Under Secretary at the War Office. His future seemed rosy, but he was a friend and passionate supporter of Hugh Gaitskell and his prospects withered under Harold Wilson. He found himself disenchanted with the ever leftward drift of
the Labour Party and fell out with the 1964 Labour government over its plans for steel nationalisation, leading an almost single-handed campaign to scupper it. Meanwhile he had established a reputation as a journalist; conquered a new medium, television; conducted a vigorous crusade against the fraudulent communist manipulation of the electricians union and infiltration into the engineers union. From some-time racehorse owner to printer, from MP to TV commentator and columnist, and most recently Chairman of the Tote, to every activity Woodrow Wyatt has brought energy, enthusiasm and a marvellous sense of fun. Friends, lovers, wives, enemies, all are described with vivacity and uninhibited frankness. His memoirs are as good-hearted, as entertaining and as freely disrespectful as the man himself. Bound in yellow cloth with red titling to spine. Good clipped dustjacket which has a small mark at the centre of the back cover. A reference number in pencil is written at top left of the first page. Hardcover. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1985